Label applying machine



Jan. 7, 1941. K. F. McMlNN LABEL APPLYING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledOct. 11, 1939 Jan. 7, 1941. WM 2,227,840

LABEL APPLYING MACHINE Filed 06% 11. 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ;i=.'.;,..-7//V//////////l Patented Jan. 7,1941

LABEL APPLYING MACHINE Kenneth {airford mmnmw ul g i, 11 usigner. mccneassignmen cw' ersey (loam-anon, Bcboken, N. 1., a coraeration of NewJersey Application October 11. 1939, Serial nmzsaau scum. ((3416-55) Myinvention relates generally to label app ying machines, and particularlyto label applying :nachines of the automatic or semi-automatic I In thepharmaceutical and other industries, it

\ is necessary to label large numbers of rather small and sometimesfragile containers which may be special shapes, as ior example ampoules,

1 dental cartridges, and the like; and the principal to object of thepresent invention is to provide an improved label applying machinev forthis purother objects and the various novel features and advantages ofthe machine of my invention will be made apparent by reference to ill,the accompanying and the iollo'wing description oi one preferredembodiment the: of

In the drawings: Figural is a side elevational view, partially in gosection, ci a label applying machine in accordonce with the presentinvention;

Figure 2 is a iragmentary perspective view illustrating diagrammaticallythe manner in vwhich labels are applied to dental cartridges es by themachine illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged side eievational view, partially in section, ofthe machine of' figure 1;

Figure t is an enlarged perspective viewof a portion of the guide andcontainer moving means so'iorming a part of the machine illustrated inFigures 1 and 3;

m: dis a sectional view taken on the general line E of Figure 4; vFigure 6 is a sectional view taken on the gento oral line t-t of Figure7;

1- a: 1 '7 is a sectional view taken on the general line i-l of Figurel' 'igure t is a sectional view taken eral line M of Figure 5; and

Figure 9 is a iragmentary sectional view taken on the general line l-Jof Figure 8. This view illustrates the operation of the mechanism whichis utilised ior pressing the labels in place on th containers to whichthey are applied.

The label applying machine illustrated in the drawings includes abox-like frame ll, preferably oi cast or fabricated metal construction.which serves as the main support for the various structural elements ofthe machine: the erect so details oi the frame it are not of particularimportance so far as the present invention is concerned. A main driveshaft II, which is normally rotated at uniform speed, is supported onthe frame ii in a horizontal position by means on the genas oil suitablebearings. not-shown. frliis' sha'it 83' supports and rotates a cam itwhich serves as the principal operating member for the container feedingportion of the apparatus.

The label applying mechanism proper is sup? ported upon the main frame Hadjacent the upper end thereof. This mechanism includesa combinedcontainer guide and feeding means I! which is afilxed to the main frameII by means of a suitable angle iron bracket is, and a label conveyingmechanism II which is operable to convey labels-to the containers whichare moved into position by the container guide and feeding means l1.Since the apparatus illustrated in the drawings was designedparticularly for use inapplying labels to dental cartridges, whicharticles, as illustrated in Figure 2, comprise a hollow,.cylindricalglass tube 23 about 3 inches long and of an inch outside diameter forcontaining a liquid medicament and two stoppers 25 for closing the endsof the tube, the guide and feeding means II and the label conveying andapplying mechanism 24 have been designed particularly for use inconjunction with elongated cylindrical containers. It will beunderstood,

however, that by suitable changes in the form.

and proportions of the various elements, the machine may be adapted forthe applying of labels to containers of other types and shapes.

The particular details of the label conveying mechanism 2! whichoperates to convey labels into proximity with the cartridge containerslocated on the container guide and feeding means i! are not importantfeatures of the present invention. and various known types of labelconveying apparatus may be used. Vacuum type mechanisms are, however,particularly satisfactory for this purpose and their use is recommended..lhis apparatus as' will hereinafter appear is arranged to apply labelsto two cartridges simultaneously, and includes (see Figure 3) twomagazines 2 arranged side by side for holding two stacks of the labels21 which are to be applied to the cartridges, a hollow label carriermember 2! having two spaced label supporting heads II, and suitableoperating means.

During each label applying operation of the machine the label carriermember 29 is moved so as to bring the two label supporting heads 3! intoproximity with the two stacks of the labels 2'! containedin the labelmagazines 2!, this position being indicated by the'dotted outline oi themember II appearing at the right hand side of Figure 3. While in thisposition suction is applied to each of the heads 31 through a pipe SI,and this motion causes the uppermost label from chine, and if desired,labels can be applied simuleach stack to move toward, and to adhere to,the lower face of the adjacent label supporting head 3| Thereupon theoperating means for the label carrier member 29 moves that member fromthe position indicated by the dotted outline at the right hand side ofFigure 3 to the position indicated by the full lines at the left handside of that figure. During this movement the two labels 21' which areheld against the heads 3|, are carried over a glue applying roller 34which is continuously rotated at proper speed in contact with a secondroller 35 which dips into a reservoir 31 containing liquid glue 39 ofsuitable character. By this operation glue is applied to each set oflabels as those labels are moved from the label magazines 26 into thelabel applying position overlying the guide and feeding means H. i v

The combination guide and feeding means I! which operates in conjunctionwith the label conveying mechanism 2| is illustrated particularly inFigures 4 through 8, and includes .a flat base or frame M which issupported in a horizontal position upon the bracket l9. The uppersurface of the guide frame 4| is provided with two V-shaped grooves orguide slots43, along which the cartridge containers are moved during theoperation of the machine. As pointed out previously, the machineillustrated in the drawings is arranged to apply labels simultaneouslyto two cartridges, and accordingly is provided with two of the guideslots 63. It will be understood, however, that the number of guide slotsis dependent solely upon the rate at which theunmarked containers can befed to the mataneou'sly to as many containers as may be desired.

The feeding mechanism for moving the cartridges along the guide slots 43includes a pair of pusher members 45 which are connected together forsimultaneous movement by means of a cross head 41. The cross head 41, inturn, is connected to a cylindrical operating member 49 which moveswithin a cylindrical guide passageway 5| formed in the frame 4!. Toprevent binding of the member 49 during its movement within the guidepassageway 5|, a guide rod 53 of relatively small diameter is connectedto the member 49 and is arranged to move within a secondcylindricalguide passageway 55formed adjacent to the inner end of theframe 4|, as illustrated particularly in Figure 6.

The interconnected pusher members 45, the

cross head 41, and the cross head operating member 49 are moved backwardand forward during the operation of the machine by means of a link 51and a bell crank 59 which is supported upon the frame II by a suitablebearing 6!, as illustrated particularly in Figures 1 and 2. One end ofthe link 51 is bifurcated (see Figure '7) and is pivotally connected toa downwardly extending projection 63 formed integrally'with the crosshead operating member 49, and the other end of the link 51 is pivotallyconnected to the upper end of thebell crank 59. The lower end of thebell crank 59 is provided with a cam follower 55 which rides over theoperating cam l5 for the feeding mechanism.

To prevent jamming of the machine during its operation and possibleinjury to the-cartridges or other containers being labeled, forwardmovement of the interconnected pusher and cross head members 45 and 41is accomplished by means of springs such as are illustrated at 51 inFigure 1 which serve tohold the cam follower 55 in con- .tact with thesurfaceof the cam l5. This arrangement permits convenient adjustment andcontrol of the amount of forward movement through the use of anadjustable stop, such as is 5 illustrated at 69, or the like, and alsoprovides a positive return for the pusher members and cross head.

During the operation of the machine, two unlabeled cartridges, a supplyof which may conveniently be contained in a container ll supported uponthe supporting bracket is for the guide and feeding means H, are placedin the guide slots 43 at a time when the pusher members 45 are in afully retracted position (see Figures 1, 4, 5 and 6) As the drive shafti3 rotates the cam I5 to bring the sector A (Figure 1) into engagementwith the cam follower 65, the interconnected pusher members and crosshead 45 and 47 are moved to the right as illustrated in Figure 3,thereby moving the two cartridges which have previously been located inthe guide slots 43 from the feeding position of Figures 1,4, and 5 tothe labeling position of Figure 3, in position the labels are applied.

In order to hold the cartridges stationary during the label applyingoperation, the apparatus includes a pair of rubber surfaced rollers 13which are vertically adiustably supported upon a suitable horizontalshaft 15 which extends crosswise of the frame it for the guide andfeeding means H. Rather close adjustment of the pressure exerted by therollers 13 is necessary in order to secure good operation of themachine, and for this reason the bearing supports for the rollersupporting shaft l5 comprise a pair of bell crank levers ll which arehingedly connected at one end to the frame 4! by suitable bolts '19 soas to permit the roller and shaft assemblage to be swung toward or awayfrom the frame 55. 40

of the interconnected cross head and pusher 45 members, those membersare returned to the retracted position of Figures 1, 4, and 5, thereturn movement being effected by the sector B of the cam Hi. The crosshead and pusher members 51 and 55 are then held in this retractedposition for a sufficient period of time to permit the operator to placetwo additional cartridges in the guide slots 53, this stationary periodbeing accomplished by the arcuate section 0 or the cam l5.

During the forward or feeding movement of the cross head 41 and thepusher members 55, the label applying mechanism is operated to remove alabel from each of the stacks contained in. the magazines 2B. and toconvey these labels over the glue applying roller 34, so that at aboutthe time the retraction of the cross head and pusher members begins, thelabel carrying member 29 is in the position illustrated by the fulllines in Figure 3. Thereupon, the label carrier member is movedvertically downward so as to bring each of the labels 2! carried on theheads 3! in contact with one of the cartridges as illustrated in Figure8.

This movement is also illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 2 whereinthe two positions of the labels 2'! are indicated by: dotted lines. The

suction is then removed from the heads 3| and which 25 yoke 85 isoperated, by means which is not shown,

to move the pads- 83 downwardly from the position of Figure 3 to theposition of Figure 9, following each operation of the label carriermember 29, whereby the two glued labels 21 which have been previouslypositioned upon the cartridge tubes 23, as illustrated in Figure 8, arepressed into engagement with the underlying cartridge tubes 23. The yoke85 and the two presser pads 83 carried thereon are then raised to thenormal position of. those members which is illustrated in Figures 1 and3. By the time the label pressing means has been raised to the positionof Figure 3, the cam I! will have been rotated almost to the beginningoi sector A, and the machine will be ready to repeat the sequence ofoperations previously described.

The forward movement of the two cartridges which were placed in theguide slots 43 during the label applying operation just described servesto push forward the two cartridges to which the labels have been appliedand these cartridges drop into a suitable guide as illustrated at 81 inFigures 1 and 3, from which they may be carried away by a. conveyor beltor the like. Once initiated, the operation of the machine takes placepractically automatically, it being necessary merely for theoperator toposition two of i the guide slots 43 by the operator automaticallyeffects the removal from the mechanism of thelabeled cartridges. Jammingoi. the machine or breakage of containers is positively prevented and inactual operation the machine has proven most satisfactory. ,In fact ithas been found I possible for a single operator to label upwards of20.000 cartridges a day by use of the machine.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided an improvedautomatic labeling machine for applying labels to small or irregularlyshaped containers, the particular machine illustrated in the drawingsand described herein being especially suited for applying labels toelongated cylindrical containers such as dental cartridges or the like.The apparatus of my invention utilizes a minimum of structural elements,and at the same time it is positive and dependable in operation and issubstantially foolproof. It will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat various machines may be developed embodying the principles of myinvention. Accordingly, it is my desire that the accompanying claimsshall be accorded the broadest reasonable construction consistent withthe language appearing therein and the prior art.

I claim the following as my invention:

1. In a label applying machine oi the class described, a guide fordirecting the movement of the articles which are to be labeled, anintermittently operated, reciprocating pusher member for moving thearticles to be labeled along said guide, in sequence-from an initialfeeding position to a labeling position, means for holding each articlewhich is moved to said labeling position so as to permit a label to beapplied thereto.

means for holding a supply of labels, label conveying means operablefollowing the movement of each article to be labeled to said labelingposition to remove a label from said supply, apply glue to one surfaceof said label, and place said glued label on the article held in saidlabeling position, andpresser means operable following each operation ofsaid label conveying means to press said glued label into engagementwith the article then in said labeling position.

2. In a label applying machine of the class described, a guide fordirecting the movement of the articles which are to be labeled, anintermittently operated, reciprocating pusher member for moving thearticles to be labeled along said guide, in sequence, from an initialposition adjacent one end of said guide to a labeling position adjacentply, apply glue to one surface of said label, and

place said glued label on the article held in said labeling position,and presser means operable following each operation of said labelconveying means to press said glued label into engagement with thearticle then in said labeling position,

that the forward movement of each unlabeled article from said initialposition to said labeling position causes the previously labeled articleto be pushed out of the machine.

3. In a label applying machine of the class described, a guide meanswhich is provided with a guideway for directing the movement oi. thearticles which are to be labeled, a pusher member arranged to be movedintermittently between a retracted position and an advanced position,said pusher member being operable to move the articles to be labeledalong said guideway, in sequence, and each movement of said pusher member from said retracted position to said advanced position causing oneof the articles to be labeled to be moved from an initial positionadjacent one endof said guideway to a labeling position, meansresiliently biasing said pusher member toward said advanced position,means for intermittently returning said pusher member from said advancedposition to said retracted position, means for holding each articlewhich is moved to said labeling position so as to permit a label to beapplied thereto, and means including a label conveying member and labelpresser member for applying a glued label to each article while it isheld in said labeling position.

4. In a label applying machine of the class de-l scribed, a guide meanswhich is provided with a guideway for directing the movement of thearticles which are to be labeled, a pusher member arranged to be movedintermittently between a retracted position and an advanced position,said pusher member being operable to move the articles to be labeledalong said guideway, in sequence, and each movement of said pushermember from said retracted position to said advanced ward said advancedposition, means including acam and a linkage intermediate said cam andsaid said guide and pusher member being so arranged pusher member forintermittently returning said pusher member trom said advanced positionto said retracted position, means including an adjustably supportedroller for holding each article which is moved to said labeling positionso as to permit a label to be attached thereto, and means including alabel conveying memberand a label presser member for applying a gluedlabel to each article while it is held in said labeling position,

said guide means and said pusher member being soarranged that themovement of each unlabeled article from said initial position to saidlabeling podtion causes the previously labeled article to be pushed outof the machine. 7

5. ma label applying machine of the class described, in combination, aguideway for directing I then in said labeling position.

- KENNETH the movement of the articles which are to be labeled,reciprocatory means for moving said articles along said guideway irom aninitial feeding position to a labeling position, means for holding eacharticle which is moved to said labeling position on said guideway so as.to permt a label to be applied thereto, means for holding a supply oflabels, label conveying means operable to remove a label from said labelsupply, ,apply glue to one surface of said label; and place' said gluedlabel on the article held in said labeling position, and presser meansoperable following each operation of said label conveying means to presssaid glued label into engagement with the article FAIRFORD MCMINN.

